Lakisha Jones in Danger of Getting the Idol Boot

Lakisha Jones is in danger of being voted off of American Idol Wednesday night. After three consecutive poor performances, Lakisha is the most likely candidate to get the boot when America's votes are tallied for the next show, according to some critics. Jones, who hails from Flint, Michigan, was once hailed by Simon Cowell to be "heads and shoulders above the rest" of the competition. Lakisha finished in the final two vote getters last week, edging out the show's laughingstock Sanjaya Malakar to save herself a spot on the show.

It is uncertain as to how Lakisha fell from greatness in the talent competition. Some analysts say that her song choice has been a big issue of late- without a song that accurately shows off her vocal talents, Jones has been floundering on the show. There is some truth to the idea that Jones is struggling with her song choice- in the last four weeks she has chosen three songs by former American Idol contestants. She has covered songs by Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, and most recently, Fantasia. Since American Idol is an amateur competition by definition, Jones is probably making a big mistake by covering songs by former amateur performers.

It has also come to light recently that some critics believe Lakisha is struggling because she doesn't have the "look" of an American Idol. Jones is known for wearing "moo-moo" style dresses while the rest of the competition dons fashionable and gaudy clothing. Being considerably overweight, Lakisha obviously has trouble sliding into the type of garb that other contestants are wearing. Jones also comes from a poor background, where things like dental insurance and health care are as uncommon as a contestant reaching the final six of American Idol. This does not help her in the grand scheme of things.

Millions of people nationwide follow the American Idol program, and after Tuesday's episode, many of them felt Lakisha would be the next to go. Noting that Jones will likely be upset after being booted off the show, many restaurant owners within a 20-mile radius of the Hollywood, California studio have decided to close their doors for the evening if Lakisha is voted off.

"Most of my perishable stock doesn't arrive until Friday morning," said one manager who wished to remain anonymous. "I don't need Lakisha stampeding in here and shutting down my restaurant- there just won't be enough to go around."

Some restaurants in the Hollywood area are braving the storm and remaining open to the general public Wednesday night. Don Alvarez, the 64-year old owner of "The Star Buffet," is planning to carry out business as usual, despite the storm that many scientists are forecasting as "Hurricane Lakisha". "When my father came to this country, he was not afraid of Mama Cass (who, according to legend, choked on one of the buffet's ham sandwiches)." Alvarez continued to say "I was born here, and if it comes to it, I will die here. I will not abandon my restaurant- it has been good to me and I will go down with it if I must."

We should all wish Lakisha Jones the best of luck Wednesday night.